The Pasquantino File
Team: Kansas City Royals
Height: 6-4
Weight: 245
Birthday: 10/10/1997
Average Exit Velo: 91.2 mph
College: Old Dominion
Draft: 319th overall, 2019
Contract: Pre-Arbitration
WAG: Engaged to Ryann Harris
Children: N/A
Betting Odds: +15000 to lead the league in RBI, +10000 to lead the league in HRs
Record/Accomplishments
- His 10 home runs in just 258 at-bats in his rookie season, 2022
Do you hate Vinnie Pasquantino?
Kansas City Royals slugger Vinnie Pasquantino made himself a Missourian household name last summer when he slugged his way to a 137 wRC+ and a .295 batting average. Even if the power numbers fell a little below expectations, the feeling around Kansas City is that they’ve found their franchise first baseman.
Some, though, have been ready to call Pasquantino elite. MLBNerds, an increasingly popular MLB statistics account, ranked his top 10 first baseman for 2023, and put the Royals youngster fifth. That’s ahead of quality veterans like Matt Olson, José Abreu, and Anthony Rizzo. It’s a fair, if optimistic, ranking, but not one fans of those other first baseman have appreciated.
“MLBNerds is responsible for 60% of the hate I get on Twitter,” Pasquantino posted, jokingly. He’s had to bear the brunt of some mean tweets in wake of the ambitious social media post. It’s safe to say people get defensive when their favorite player is being “disrespected” by a dissenting opinion.
There’s reason to believe in a Pasquantino power surge, one that he, MLBNerds, and Kansas City can all benefit from. He’ll have the chance to change the hearts of his haters with a big season.